Just the Tips
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Magnus is a new single dad. His friends worry about him because he hasn't been dating in years and he's completely throwing himself into parenting, so they decide to take him out to get prettied up at the Fairchild Beauty Salon. Magnus is instantly enthralled by his pretty blonde hairdresser. He goes back every week, trying to find out more about Jace. Magnus/Jace slash Jagnus


Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus || Just the Tips || Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus

Title: Just the Tips – Welcome to the Fairchild Beauty Salon

Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, fluff, pining, hetero

Main Pairing: Magnus/Jace

Side Pairings: Simon/Clary, Luke/Jocelyn, Alaric/Dot, Magnus/Camille (past)

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan Christopher 'Jace' Wayland, Magnus Bane, Clarissa Adele 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Maia Roberts, Jocelyn Fray, Luke Garroway, Alaric Rodriguez, Dorothea 'Dot' Rollins, Catarina Loss, Madzie

Summary: Magnus is a new single dad, having just adopted his little princess Madzie. His friends worry about him because he hasn't been dating in years and he's completely throwing himself into parenting, so they decide to take him out to get prettied up at the Fairchild Beauty Salon. Magnus is instantly enthralled by his pretty blonde hairdresser, so he finds himself coming back once a week to get the tips of his hair dyed a different color every week, trying to find out more about Jace.

 **Just the Tips**

 _Welcome to the Fairchild Beauty Salon_

Catarina smiled softly over the rim of her cocktail-glass. It was really hard to hold an intervention on Magnus' behalf while Magnus was busy playing with his daughter. The way Magnus' entire face lit up when he looked at Madzie was blinding. He completely adored his little girl. Over the past months since he had adopted her, she had become not just the center of his world but she had become his entire world. There was nothing beyond Madzie and work anymore. Occasionally, he did find the time to host for his friends, but even then he tended to get distracted by Madzie, just like right now. Catarina didn't remember the last time they had gone _out_ for as much as cocktails.

"I mean, I love Madzie, I really do", sighed Dot next to her amused.

"But Magnus needs to start having a life again", concluded Catarina with a solemn look.

Which was the truth. Magnus hadn't dated in years. And now he had even stopped going out to as much as look, using Madzie as his excuse. The two women exchanged a heavy look. They knew Magnus' ex Camille had broken his heart in the worst way possible and Magnus had been pulling back since then. Finding Madzie and falling for the little angel had mended Magnus' heart significantly, which was why the fashion designer had decided to adopt her, even though he was single. But having even one parent was more than Madzie had and it was definitely what Madzie deserved, because Magnus worshiped his sweet pea. Still, both Dot and Cat were concerned for their friend. Magnus Bane was a man who had a lot of love to give for he had a big heart. He deserved a lover to give him that same kind of love.

"Magnus", called Catarina out, gaining his attention.

He was sitting on the floor with Madzie and Chairman Meow. While Madzie continued chasing the cat, Magnus returned to his friends with a slightly sheepish expression – they were used to it by now and they truly couldn't hold it against him that he was completely smitten with his daughter. They were too, after all. They took their new jobs as favorite aunts very seriously.

"Yes, my dear?", asked Magnus with a smile as he joined them again.

"You need to get out of the house", declared Dot seriously.

"I'm too exhausted for long nights of drinking and dancing", dismissed Magnus. "And I am _not_ interested in dating. If this is about setting me up again, I will tell you the same I told Ragnor on Tuesday. No, I will not accept your blind-date suggestions. I don't _trust_ you."

He glared pointedly though they knew it was more playful. At the core, he was serious though. He didn't want to get out there just now, not after the way his heart had been broken the last time.

"Well then, not out late at night to drink and dance", laughed Cat softly. "With the shifts at the hospital, I have to say that thought is just awfully exhausting for me too... Oh god. We got _old_."

"We did, didn't we?", laughed Dot, amusement dancing in her eyes. "But oh, I have the perfect idea for what we can do! A beauty day. Nails, hair, just kicking back, relaxing and letting someone pamper us for the day and then, in the end simply looking fabulous."

Magnus was instantly intrigued and Cat, as she looked down at her chipped nails, had to admit that a day of relaxing and being pampered truly did sound wonderful. "Go on, we're listening."

"Okay, you know how I met Jocelyn Garroway?", asked Dot with a smile.

"Wife of your boyfriend's partner, isn't she?", nodded Cat thoughtfully.

"Yes. Met her on a double-date between Ric and me and Ric's partner Luke", nodded Dot. "And she mentioned that she's running a beauty salon. The Fairchild Beauty Salon. I've been curious about checking it out and maybe getting to know Jocelyn a little better – it would be so nice to have a couple to hang out with, especially with how close Luke and Alaric are."

"One condition: You organize a babysitter for Madzie", countered Magnus after a beat.

"Oh, I'm sure Ragnor will love babysitting his favorite niece", grinned Dot. "So it's settled then."

/break\

Ragnor _did_ love the idea of babysitting his favorite night (he showed it in his own way and Magnus knew his daughter would have silly ideas in her head again when he'd pick her up, but that was just Ragnor). During the drive to the salon, Magnus still felt like he was making a mistake. He wanted to return and grab his daughter, build a pillow-fort and watch cartoons with her. But then the trio stepped through the door into the salon and Magnus instantly relaxed. He might never have been in this particular salon, but he used to spend a lot of time in places like those.

"Welcome to the Fairchild Beauty Salon. Do you have an appointment?", asked a perky redhead.

She smiled brightly where she was sitting behind a desk. Dot returned the smile as she stepped past her two friends and approached the front-desk. Magnus all the while let his eyes wander. The place was beautiful, painted with intriguing fairy tale forest motifs. A large forest, a beautiful lake setting between the trees and in the distance, a city seemingly made of glass. Very relaxing and gorgeous.

"An appointment for three under the name Rollins", confirmed Dot. "Mani, pedi, hair and facials."

"Oh! Right. You're uncle Ric's girlfriend!", exclaimed the redhead with a bright grin. "I'm Clary."

"Jocelyn and Luke's daughter", nodded Dot in realization. "It's good to meet you."

"Why don't the three of you sit down for a moment? It won't be long", assured Clary.

They truly didn't have to wait for long and then a redheaded lady came, smiling brightly and greeting Dot with an embrace. Jocelyn Garroway. Magnus and Catarina gladly introduced themselves and allowed the owner of the establishment to lead them back.

"Catarina, this is Maia, she will take care of you today. Jace, sweetie, you take Magnus."

Magnus blinked slowly as he was faced with Jace. Jace was the devil dressed as an angel. Blonde hair in an undercut, the longer parts falling softly into his face, his heterochromic eyes blue and golden-brown as he smiled at Magnus. Sharp cheekbones and plush lips. He was so beautiful, but in the cheeky smirk it was clear to see that he was temptation incarnated.

"Nice to meet you, Magnus", smiled Jace. "Take a seat. We'll start with the hair, then the face and while the mask dries, I'll take care of your nails, though those don't look like they need much care."

"You can never take too much care of yourself", replied Magnus as he sat down.

"That is true", laughed Jace as he came to stand behind Magnus. "Now, the hair. Any wishes?"

Magnus frowned at his own mirror-image. "Shorter at the sides. And maybe the tips... dyed."

"Mh... I think I can work with that. Color-wish or will you give me free reign?", asked Jace.

"Take it away", chuckled Magnus and leaned back.

The following three hours were the most relaxing Magnus has had in months. Catarina was on one side of him and Dot on the other. The three of them talked animatedly, with Jace, Maia and Jocelyn occasionally joining in. Jace had _magic_ fingers. Magnus practically melted as Jace massaged his skull, working the pleasant-smelling shampoo in. In the end, Jace picked a vibrant red that brought out his eyes in contrast and when Jace smiled at him so brightly when Magnus praised his work, Magnus could feel himself swooning just a _tiny_ bit. The blonde was simply breathtaking.

/break\

"So, boy. How much longer before we gotta get a restraining order for Bane?"

Jace flipped his best friend off and blushed, even as Maia laughed at him. Five weeks ago, Magnus Bane had first found his way into the store and the gorgeous, confidence-oozing man with the impeccable style had piqued Jace's interest instantly. When Magnus had returned the following week to 'change the tips', Jace had been more than happy. And this time around, they even got to talk properly, since Magnus had come without his female friends. The week after, he came for another pedicure. Another week passed and he came for a facial.

"My brother has a crush, my brother has a cru—ush", chimed Clary teasingly.

Jace glared, but he couldn't fight the blush on his cheeks. Okay, so Magnus was gorgeous and quippy and very nice to talk to. But Magnus was also about ten years older than Jace and clearly rich, considering his clothes and cologne alone. There was no way Magnus would return the crush anyway so what was the point of it. He glared at his younger sister.

"Tell me about Jace's crush", prompted his sister's boyfriend.

Jace groaned and leaned his head back against the wall. Simon Lewis was _literally_ the bane of his existence. The guy was such a dork and kept beating Jace at Mario Kart, he also always teamed up with Jace's sister. Jace, Clary and their older brother Sebastian had grown up with Simon. Seb and Jace had always gotten a bet going on how long it would take Clary and Simon to get together (it took them until Maureen asked Simon out and he said yes for Clary to realize what she was feeling for him). Since then, Simon spent even more time at the Garroway home than before (which seemed nearly impossible considering the amount of time he had always spent there).

"His name is Magnus Bane. He's a pretty big number in the fashion industry", replied Maia gladly and put one of the many magazines they had in their salon down in front of Simon. "And he's basically a regular by now. But he always asks for blondie over there."

Jace glared at his traitorous best friend while Maia just grinned in an utterly carefree way. Sometimes, he wondered why he was still here. He should have gone to college abroad like Sebastian – the dork even had adapted a posh British accent at this point. Heh, Jace wondered if he could pull that off too. It'd be fun. British Jace and Sebastian, taking the world by storm.

"...Are you even listening, Jace?", asked Clary.

"No, I wasn't", huffed Jace with a glare.

"Well, Magnus is _here_ ", stated Clary, a teasing smirk on her lips.

Jace stared wide-eyed past her to see Magnus. Clary waved and left again to get back to the reception. Magnus smiled at him, already sitting in place. The guy really was too gorgeous to be true. Simon made a high-pitched sound as he looked from the cover of the magazine Maia had given him up at the very same man. Yes, Jace was aware that Magnus was kind of famous.

"So, how are things going, Magnus?", asked Jace casually as he prepared everything. "You went to the zoo with Madzie this weekend, right? Did she like it?"

"Oh, she _loves_ the lions", replied Magnus, with a smile that lit up his entire face, as always when he was talking about his daughter. "But what she loves the most is the aquarium. I'm thinking about getting her fishes, but... with the cats we have, well..."

"The cats would thank you", laughed Jace. "Now, what color do you want?"

"I was thinking a cyan blue this week", mused Magnus. "And how are you?"

"Good", smiled Jace while mixing the color. "I mean, it's my turn hosting family dinner this week and you try cooking for them. They're like a pack of wild wolves."

"You never talk about your family", mused Magnus curiously. "Tell me about them."

Jace blinked a couple of times before cracking a smile. "Well, my mom runs a beauty salon and my sister works at the reception. My dad is a cop and his partner Alaric, who is our godfather, always belongs to our family dinners too. These days, his fiance does too. You might know _her_."

"You're Jocelyn's son", grunted Magnus and rolled his eyes. "Ah. I'm sorry. You don't look too much like Jocelyn and Clary, I have to admit..."

Jace paused for a second and blinked. "Me and our big brother Sebastian, we... come more after our _biological_ father. He... He's been out of the picture for a long time now."

Magnus nodded, clearly realizing that _that_ wasn't a topic Jace liked talking about. "Your older brother? Tell me about him, since everyone else seems to work at the salon."

"He's studying in London. Comes visit every summer, but still... it's weird with him so far away", replied Jace with a sigh. "Oh, and this annoying guy often joins our family dinner too."

"Why must you always hurt me like that, Jace?", asked Simon hurt.

Magnus raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy, so Jace felt obligated to elaborate. "Simon. Clary's boyfriend of five years now. I gave up on any hope of getting rid of him."

"Just because _you_ can never keep a relationship for longer than a few months", argued Maia.

"Oh, you shut up", grumbled Jace frustrated, flushing. "Relationships are... hard."

"Tell me about it", sighed Magnus, closing his eyes as Jace started massaging his scalp.

/break\

"So, what is it that I'm hearing from Simon these days? About a... crush?"

"I will _crush_ Simon", growled Jace flustered.

He was in his kitchen, preparing the salads together with his dad. Luke smiled amused at him. Dot, Jocelyn and Clary were outside talking to each other, while Simon and Alaric were setting the table.

"Come on, Jace", laughed Luke. "You know you can talk to me about those things. Jocelyn said you've been really distracted lately and Maia said you've been _blushing_ a lot lately."

"I just decided that I'll become a monk on some far-away mountain", declared Jace frustrated.

"You're such a drama-queen, Jace", chuckled Alaric as he entered the kitchen. "So, who is it?"

"It's not Maia, is it?", asked Luke concerned. "Because far as I know from Simon, she's been dating Bat. You kids drag me way too deep into your drama and gossip."

Jace snorted softly. "It's _not_ Maia. It's... a customer. One of my regulars."

"So, what's the chances she's coming 'just to see you'?", asked Alaric teasingly.

The three of them grabbed the salads and headed out to where the others were sitting and waiting for dinner. Alaric sat down next to Dot, kissing her cheek briefly, while Luke took his spot next to Jocelyn. Jace kind of hated that he sat alone, opposite Clary and Simon.

"It's a _he_ ", corrected Clary. "And considering he's been coming in literally every week for the past six weeks, there is no way he enjoys dying the tips of his hair _that much_."

Jace glowered just a little as his sister grinned at him. Okay, so he wasn't an idiot. At this point, even he knew that Magnus probably was interested in him too. Jace was just not very good at the asking someone out part, not to mention how highly inappropriate it would be considering Magnus was his customer. He started picking in his salad. Magnus was way out of his league.

/break\

Dot smiled as she held Madzie's hand. The little girl was walking between her and Magnus. Magnus looked a little confused as to where Dot was leading them. He looked good, with the magenta in his hair. The most recent color. Dot had noticed the many changes in color, but she had thought nothing of it beyond 'He's finally leaving the house again to take care of just himself instead of only his daughter'. But dinner last night had been very enlightening.

"Tell me why you haven't asked Jace out yet. And your answer is not allowed to include Camille."

Magnus opened his mouth just to close it again and glare defiantly at her. "He's ten years younger than me. And until last week, I was sure he was with Maia."

"Mhmh", nodded Dot in understanding. "Madzie, sweetie, what do you say? You and I go and eat ice-cream? And cake? And then we go and harass Ric at work?"

"...And what about _me_? Are you just going to abandon me in... wherever we are?", asked Magnus.

Dot smiled as they stopped in front of a door. She motioned at the names listed. Magnus blinked, eyes widening as he saw the name _Jace Garroway_ scribbled next to one of the buttons.

"I was over here for dinner last night. He's a great cook. You're going to invite him out to dinner."

Before he could reply, she rung the doorbell and then _Dot and Madzie ran off_. Magnus stared after them in utter disbelief, until the door opened and Jace stood in front of him. He looked gorgeous, as always, with his hair falling into his face so prettily. Jace looked surprised, but then he smiled.

"Magnus. Uhm. Didn't expect you here", chuckled Jace. "Don't tell me you aren't satisfied with my work and came to complain to me in person."

"Apparently, I came here to... ask you out on a date", offered Magnus, blinking slowly.

"Apparently?", asked Jace, though he did blush at the proposition.

"Well. Dorothea brought me here and I think the sentiment behind it was that continuously getting my hair done by you just to see you _might_ not be the way to go. Perhaps she's right."

He had been thinking about this _a lot_ in the past six weeks. At first, it was more a matter of enjoying the view and going out to be among people in the two-digit age-group again. But Jace had pretty fast become more than just that. Magnus enjoyed his company, the conversation, he even enjoyed observing the interactions between Jace and his co-workers. For the first time in too long, Magnus felt like he could actually picture being _happy_ with someone again.

"Okay", nodded Jace, eyes just a bit wide. "A date. Yes. When?"

"Let's see... what are you doing right now?", asked Magnus with a small smirk.

"Actually. I'm currently... cooking dinner", chuckled Jace, eyes dancing with amusement. "Would... you like to come it? I'm pretty sure it could be enough for two."

Magnus blinked surprised but pleased and followed Jace inside. The apartment was small but cozy and the scent of delicious dinner filled everything. Magnus gladly followed it to the kitchen, where Jace motioned for him to sit down. Watching Jace cook was enchanting.

"But you don't mind me coming back to the salon even when we're dating?", asked Magnus.

"...You know how often Bat and Simon just _uselessly_ hang around the salon?", grunted Jace with a deadpan. "And _dad_ too. We have contemplated bringing in a Boyfriend Bench or something."

Magnus laughed at that as Jace served him what looked like delicious stew. Jace spotted a small smile as he sat down opposite Magnus and the two started eating. The meal was delicious and just being with Jace made Magnus feel more content than he had in a while.

 _~*~ The End ~*~_

* * *

 _Author's note: Because Jace Garroway gives me life. And soft!Jace gives me life. And Magnus having his friends make sure he gets over a bad breakup and finds the happiness he deserves also gives me life.  
_


End file.
